More Than Teaching: Educators’ Relational Labor in Newcomer Programs

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 9:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Beyond Language: Educating for Belonging and Global Citizenship

Abstract

This paper examines how educators working in newcomer programs in two public school districts conceptualize and enact relational safety for immigrant and refugee students navigating trauma, displacement, and systemic marginalization. Drawing on interview and survey data from approximately 30 educators—including teachers, cultural liaisons, and district leaders, this paper explores how staff members understand their roles beyond academics, emphasizing care, trust, and healing. Findings illuminate how everyday practices—such as trauma-informed routines and space-making—are shaped by broader sociopolitical forces and policy pressures. The study builds on theoretical frameworks from critical refugee studies and trauma-informed education to offer insights into the expansive roles educators assume in constructing sanctuary for newcomer students in a time of heightened precarity.

Authors

• Gina Arnone, Research for Action

• Dae Y. Kim, Research for Action

• Maja Pehrson, Research for Action